About the Constantinescu turbulent model in hydrodynamic lubrication: A comparison with 3-D LES models

•Numerical analysis of Constantinescu׳s 2D turbulent lubrication model in thrust pad bearings.•Analysis of a Large Eddy Simulation (LES) model with Van Driest filter for 3D lubrication problems in thrust pad bearings.•Comparison of 2D and 3D models clarifying the validity of Constantinescu׳s turbulent model in terms of the Reynolds number.•Numerical analysis of influences generated in the lubricant pressure in the pad bearing due to the groove 3D-flows.

There exists a variety of literature on two-dimensional turbulent models in hydrodynamic lubrication and also many expert opinions regarding their suitability for applications to fluid problems in thin layers (see Szeri, 1998 [26] and references therein). Therefore, the objective of this work is to analyse numerically a simplified 2D turbulent model applied to generic lubrication problems in thrust pad bearings. More precisely, the aim is to determine the range of validity of Constantinescu׳s turbulent model by comparing it with numerical results from 3D turbulent models. Specifically, a 3D Large Eddy Simulation (LES) Smagorinsky type model with Van Driest filter for small scales is chosen. The 3D numerical simulations are performed through the well-known opensource software OpenFOAM.